Oh, what a night. On December 9, Saratoga Living and Capital Region Living teamed up with 10 local do-gooders to raise money for 10 nonprofits at the 3rd annual Capital Region Gives Back event. And raising money has never been more fun.
As guests arrived at Putnam Place, they were treated to a complimentary glass of Prosecco donated by DeCrescente Distributing. They helped themselves to a sprawling buffet of fare from Panza’s, Spring Street Deli, Swifty’s and Sweet Mimi’s; sampled cocktails made with a Keurig Drinkworks machine and cocktail pods, donated by Saratoga Eagle and Purdy’s Discount Wine & Liquor; and bid in a silent auction. (Auction items included goodies from Mirror Lake Inn, The Cove at Sylvan Beach, Miss Scarlett Boutique, ITSWORKSPACE, Pine and Plaid on Main, Altamont Winery, Nani’s Indian Kitchen, Front Street Social Club, Iron Roost, Blue Stone Manor Bourbon, Saratoga Candy Co, Wired Coffee Roasters, BARE Blends, The Hot Yoga Spot, Irene Leigh and more.) DJ Jason Irwin kept the tunes turning until 7pm, when Girl Blue took the stage to sing some folksy Christmas favorites. Oh, and did we mention the aerialists from Good Karma Studio, who entertained the crowd of 200 from suspended hoops and silks?
The evening’s program began at 7:30pm, with NEWS10 ABC anchor Ryan Peterson introducing the 2021 Capital Region Gives Back honorees, each of whom received bouquets donated by Dehn’s Flowers. Lisa Mitzen, a member of Shelters of Saratoga’s board of directors, ended up winning the friendly competition to raise the most money, and received a commemorative plaque and gift card to Seneca Restaurant.
Local band StereoSonic took it from there, pausing only for the drawing of the raffle for the Drinkworks machine. In all, Gives Back raised more than $8,500 for the 10 charities, a sum that Saratoga Living and Capital Region Living owner Tony Ianniello generously offered to match, bringing the total donation to more than $17,000. Saratoga Living would like to thank everyone who came out for our 3rd annual Gives Back event. Together, we can keep the vibrant local journalism scene alive.